A bagel is a yeast-raised, doughnut-shaped roll with a hard crust. The dough, sometimes flavored, is chilled, then dropped briefly into nearly boiling water, and then baked. A 1610 document from Krakow mentions “beygls” given as gifts to women in childbirth, but the document is not clear as to what a “beygl” is. Ashkenazi immigrants brought the bagel to New York City in the 1880s, but it didn't become popular in North America until when?More...

When Caligula became the Roman emperor in 37 CE, replacing the hated Tiberius, the public welcomed his reign, and for a time it was uneventful. Seven months later, he fell severely ill, and when he recovered, he was a changed man. Suddenly, his reign was marked by financially ruinous extravagance, unmatched cruelty, and rampant executions, even of his former supporters. He was assassinated within a few years. What may have caused the mental instability Caligula displayed after his illness?More...

Caroline Herschel was a British astronomer. At the age of 10, she contracted typhus, which permanently stunted her growth—but not her ambition. Her family assumed that she would never marry because of her height and trained her to be a household servant. But when her brother, Sir William Herschel, took up astronomy and accepted the position of King's Astronomer, she joined him as his assistant and assumed the laborious task of cataloguing thousands of stars and nebulae. What did she discover?More...

Quotation of the Day

In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.

The Kiplingcotes Derby, which is run along the Wolds Way in Yorkshire, England, on the third Thursday in March, dates back more than 450 years, making it the longest-running "flat race" (as opposed to the steeplechase, which involves jumping over obstacles) in England. The route along which the horses run measures four miles in length and cuts through five different parishes, supposedly following an ancient Roman road. It begins near South Dalton and finishes near Kiplingcotes Farm in the parish of Middleton-on-the-Wolds. More...

Call it a preview of the cross-country road trip of the future. An autonomous car developed by Michigan-based auto supplier Delphi Automotive will soon be making a 3,500-mile journey across the US. A person will sit behind the wheel at all times but won't ...More...

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.